Stockwood Park opened their league season with a good win against one of the promotion favourites Old Laurentians at London Road, Nick Dundee bagging a haul of 17 points. Prior to the game, Park held a minute silence for former players Epeli Seru and Alan Farmer who passed away during the summer break.
Both sides were evenly matched from the start with Park getting the first score after 15 minutes with hooker Alfie Daly driving over from close range. The visitors scored shortly after to level the scores. The lead changed hands several times, Dundee kicking a penalty and, after a Laurentians score, rounded off a fine team move to score his first try, with the conversion adding the icing to the cake. Park went into the break 15-12 ahead.
Park began to dominate more of the game after the break with new skipper Connor Underwood and fellow lock Jack Brooks outstanding and the back row of Kieran Taylor, Dan Loft and Michael Powell working tirelessly all around the park. Wings Jerome Isles and Joe Ladley, the latter making a promising league debut, began to stretch the visitors defence and it was once again Dundee who extended Park’s lead with a converted try after a spell of concerted pressure. The visitors showed great spirit and came back strongly in the final 10 minutes but the Park defence held firm to start the season with a deserved win.
After the game new coach Ronnie Speakman declared himself happy with ‘a good performance with plenty of positives and some areas where we can grow the team over the coming weeks’.
Park Ex 1st XV showed great spirit against an experienced Old Northamptonians side, keeping within a score until the last quarter, before eventually going down 19-38 at London Road.